Randerolf

I type to you from the honorable computing lab of the University of North Florida, having eaten an entire hand of bananas. This is my second week attending the university, having graduated from a community college that was relatively closer to my house. I commute once to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and spend all day there (10:50 Am to 7PM) to cut down on fuel costs (a 45 minute drive). Then there is the food issue.

Last week was hamburgers and fries from Checkers. Tuesday was Crystals (think White Castle if you’re unfamiliar with them). Today its bananas (I’m sure it was some of your thoughts concerning the first line [/ bad pun]).

I want to save money on food (I’m sure on campus food costs an arm and a leg as will a resturant) while being away from my kitchen.

Fears of Jacksonville’s, hot summer weather keep me from keeping a lunch box in my car. The bananas faired well today, although one finger started to darken (black) at 4:30 PM. (They were slightly green at the base the day before and the fruit inside was fine upon peeling).

With hopes of backpacking in Europe after college, I see this as on opportunity to learn how to eat cheaply while away from home base.

As to why I didn’t eat breakfast at home this morning, I blame being out late and Whole Wheat Bread

Anexkahn

you should check out the on-campus dining options. Some of them are quite discounted. At my old school if you bought in incriments of $50.00 or more, you could get a really decent meal for about 3 dollars on your student id card.

Rodney

Bring a small ice chest with some "blue ice" in it, or just put the blue ice in your lunch bag. Should work well enough.

MSD

Cooler in the trunk, insulated lunch bag on top of ice packs in cooler, ice pack in lunch bag, food on top of ice pack in lunch bag

streak_56

definately in the trunk. Just try to find a subway or some health food eatery. I know when I was at Ohio State, they provided something (different) every day that was healthy. And the cost was not too bad... 5-8 dollars.

Pip

Those li'l cooler bags for picnic purpouses works great. Either keep an ice pack in there or freeze a plastic bottle of water or lemonade or whatever solid (milk and carbonated stuff don't work so well though) and use that as an ice pack, if your timing is right you'll have a nice cold drink to your lunch!

Lead543

Buy a cooler, some ice packs and ziplock tupperware. Separate any food that gets soggy when left together and leave it in the trunk of your car. All this will probably cost under $20 and after that you can choose what you want to pack.

Kostya

Hmmm, first of all, nice avatar you got there...

My Uni diet consists almost entirely of fruit, but in Australia and Brisbane especially, it's probably cheaper than most other places. Basically I can eat all the fruit I could possibly stomach and stay on a budget of $5 Australian roughly 1 American cent...

Whole wheat bread is the devil though...

Disk_Pusher

My solution while going to community college an hour away from my house was to just stop by the local grocery store and pick up some fruit and munchies. On average I spent about $2-4 per day. Saddly the grocery near the CC was cheaper than the one near my house, which had to pay to get all it's items trucked up the hill to my piss-ant mountain town. Dried meat and fruit were also nice and easy to make at home, and didn't require any refrigeration.

edmos1

I would recommend freezing some bottles of water for the cooler, and also using blue ice (reusable ice packs) Put the Ice packs ON TOP OF FOOD, as cool air sinks, so the food will stay cooler underneath the ice. The water bottle will thaw throughout the day, and give you something to drink on the way home.